Get Early Access to TNW Index by Becoming a Curator

Firefox 7 Beta uses less memory

We do know that Mozilla has just released Firefox 6, but here we are with Firefox 7 Beta - and this particular version (also, we did cover whispers of Mozilla mulling over whether to do away with version numbers) is said to be the first to implement Memshrink. Just what does Memshrink bring to the table? It will be able to reduce Firefox's memory usage by get this - nearly 50%. Now that is certainly something worth looking into, and if such low memory usage levels can be achieved even in a beta, imagine what the full version will be able to do.

You will be able to download the new Firefox 7 Beta for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, and as for those who have been running the Firefox beta, they need not worry since their version(s) will be updated automatically. On a slightly different note, Mozilla has also rolled out a beta version of Firefox for Android. It must be noted that Firefox 7 s memory usage will remain constant even if you decide to leave the computer and browser running overnight, where it will free up even more memory whenever you close more tabs.

For those who have made the upgrade, how do you find it? Are there any bouquets or brickbats that you want to share with us?

Article: RSS UberGizmo

Apple seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 second beta to developers

On July 30, Apple officially seeded the first beta of OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 to developers, and now the company has followed up with the second beta just a week later.

On August 7, Apple seeded the second beta of OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 to developers, giving them, as usual, early access to what will eventually be released to consumers as a final build at some point in the (near) future. Much like the first beta, the specific alterations that Apple is bringing to the table are unknown, but that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t asking developers to focus on certain elements.

Like with the first beta to devs, Apple is asking those who have early access to the software, which brings the build up to 13F12, to focus on Thunderbolt, graphics, USB, USB SmartCards and Safari. The update is available through Apple’s developer portal, or through the Update Software function on Macs currently running the development software.

There’s no telling when Apple will switch this over to the public release, but if the beta builds continue to launch at this frequency, Mac owners shouldn’t have too much longer to wait.

[via Apple Developer]